Lets get right to it then... I looked through the list. I may have missed a title or two as I have been in a state of mass dementia, regardless... my eyes peered and my fingers brought back:

Gravel #2
Ive read all the previous incarnations of this character and have always found them enjoyable for their hyper violence, light reading, and pretty decent art. Now what I love best about this series is that its in big beauitful color. I know it may seem old for Ellis to keep writing his hard as nails characters next to his post suicide girl characters but in this comic market, it is fun even though less attractive since the formula is already been and treaded. I dig this as I would usually. I actually am in the minority here that enjoys a comic comprised of nonstop splashes featuring blood and dozen titted aligator mothers.

Return Of The Gremlins #1
If Im not mistaken, this has to do with Disney and Salivdor Dali or Dahl from Wonka. Not quite sure but I know it has nothing to do with the film. I remember checking out a picture of these little creature flying aeroplanes? Sounds fun.

Speak Of The Devil #5
I love this series. Gilbert Hernandez still allows me to enjoy teenangst melodramcom the best way I can: comic form. I remember reading Blackhole (one of my fav comics ever) and just thinking how much Id like to read more somewhat dark but real and true comics with teens. This series reminds me of why I loved Blackhole. I hope I get to see more great work on this level or the very least Ill go and check out Hernandezs other past work.

All Star Superman #10
Im eagerlly awaiting issue twelve so I can read these all together in one sitting. I read the first three issues long ago when first published and I know how great these are. Its reaching that time when Im going to finally read this and let me tell you, I cant wait. This looks like pure grade excellence!

Authority Prime #6
Im horribly upset with Authority yet I still pick them up (yet to read anything since Robbie Morrisons lame incarnation). How can you possibly fuck up Authority was a certain though process long ago. But of course it happened and Im still baffeled. This is NOT authority. Anything after Ellis and Millar is Authority, not THE Authority. One day Ill get to reading the other stuff (sooner then later). Ill try to be less harsh on it all things considered. What Im most upset about is when the real Morrison gets on the title; he doesnt even expel the ultra violent brillance that this series is known for.. sigh... now I truely know NOTHING can save this series.

Crossing Midnight #17
Final story arc. Bring it on. Good series but I actually dont mind seeing this end. Exterminators is a travesty... to me, this seems like it needs to end anyways which is a good thing because the run wasnt too short and wasnt too long. I hope this final arc really ties everything together and continues to have that Mike Carey impressfull flair of ideas he cant do on big company books. -Still feeling Lucifer flashbacks. If no one has read Vertigos LUCIFER I highley recommend it. Its far greater reading to me than Sandman. Just my personal choice though.

Green Lantern #29
Feels like some time has passed since Sinestro War and while I havent read any Lanterns previous, this feels like its going places in slow motion. Theres totally a movement it seems in GL continuity yet it seems like this stuff is being dragged out till Blackest Night and thats not fair. I feel like these comics should be bustling with great ideas full and packed with story and executions. Maybe this new story arc will change my opinion. Dont get me wrong, I rock my green lantern sweater jacket; I just want to be thrilled again.

Hellblazer #242
Another month, another save for a rainy day.

Jack Of Fables #21
Im planning to read this series back to back very soon. In fact, next issue Im going to sit down and read two years worth of stories so that should be exciting hearing this series is way wilder and funnier then Fables. Yay.

Loveless #23
Last two issues have been special as the first 20 read monthly have made me forget what was going on and missing out on story momentuum. So what I plan to do is start saving these and reading them in big chunks that way I can at least understand whats going on and actually enjoy this comic instead of reading through a confusion to enjoy set pieces of the word afro-american superman on nice artwork.

Secret History Of Jack Hawksmoor #1
Im incredibly glad Midnighter is ending. I dropped the title when the American flag started eating everyones faces but would flip through it so Id assume some silent confirmation that Ive seen what Midnighter has been through. I hope this series is better then that convoluted piece o shit. No offense but the whole Wildstorm universe needs to blow up and ultimaze.

Uncle Sam And The Freedom Fighters II #7
Im actually in the midst of finishing up the first series now and I gotta say im enjoying this lots. Ideas were concieved by Grant Morrison and you can totally tell, and the art is really above other superhero standards. Ive flipped through these new issues to glimpse the color and realized the art is replaced from the first series with this new stuff which is not at all on the same level though it seems to capture the weirdness that has made me come back to this first series so much. Ill be up to current by next month to enjoy the final issue.

Army Of Darkness Xena Why Not #1
Why not, right?

Fallen Angel Vol 2 #25
I need to read all of these one of these days though I have so much to catch up on this will have to sit on the backburner.

Proof #6
New storyarc that sounds really good. I dig this book now and look forward to it.

Sorrow #4
This has been a fun little comic. Cant wait to see it end through.

Spawn #176
Saving for a rainy day and sometime this year Ill get to reading this starting from David Hines first issue on his run. His Strange Embrace was nothing short of a masterpiece so Im hoping his Spawn run is injected with his wit and capable storytelling skills.

Strongarm #5
Haha, I completly forgot this was still coming out. I guess the schedule with tri-monthly? Has a long delay, dont remember whats going on other then an Akira knockoff. Ill finish this series off as a toilet light read.

Transhuman #1
Im excited to check this out. Have yet to fully read all this dudes stuff though I have them all waiting to read.

Urban Monsters #2
Fun little read, bring it.

Ms Marvel #25
Got to end up reading these eventually. I hope its decent. It looked fun at a time.

Ultimate Human #3
Im enjoying the simple minded fun. We all know where this goes and where it ends. Now its all about story and execution to get our kicks. Ellis can handle these minor cinematic expeditions of plight.

Ultimate Iron Man II #4
Waiting to finish so I can read the first series and this one back to back, hope its worth it. In fact, when the film comes out Ill read these two volumes, the new Invisible Ironman from Fraction and the Viva-Las Vegas from Faverou. Big Iron Man month coming for me... Ill be wiped out but Ill take it as my personal little trilogy.

Buddha Story Of Enlightenment #1
Sounds interesting. Its Virgin. Im giving it a shot but Ill wait for a rainy day.

Dan Dare #5
Ennis wont return on the next volume of this series as been planned. Im actually kind of glad and hope the next series is more action and scifi ideas. This one has been rather bland and boring, sorry to say. Sorry Ennis, you win some and you lose some. You lost.

India Authentic #11 Hanuman
Saving for rainy day. Though the story of Hanuman is not new to me so Im assured with nice art this will be very decent read.

Ramayan 3392 AD Reloaded #5
Out of all the Virgin series, Im looking forward to this the most. Ill wait till this is over and then I can enjoy it all

Snakewoman Curse Of The 68 #2
Didnt this just come out last week? Is this now a weekly? Im waiting for all these Snakes to finish so I can read all the series together.

Stranded #3
Saving for a rainy day. Its Mike Carey. And see Below.

Zombie Broadway One Shot
Dont know what its about but its a Virgin title and Im inclined to try them all.

Wizard Magazine #199
Always a pleasure to read though the news is stale since I check comic news daily. I still like the pictures and its nice to feel like comics are apart of the higher popculture making me feel not so alone in my excitement for new things to come.

So yeah, Gravel and Speak of the Devil are my picks for this week. Happy reading. See ya next week.

This site doesn't list it, but supposedly the Action Comics Annual that finishes the Johns/Donner arc comes out Wednesday as well. I may also give Titans #1 a look, even if I can't stand Judd Winick as a writer.

Terry Moores Echo #2
- Nice first issue and interested in seeing where this will go.
Doktor Sleepless #6
- Yay, another DS finally arriving. The long waits (delays?) or just the overall wait kinda make this tamer then It should be. In TPB it would read nicer.
George R R Martins Wild Cards #1
Jim Butchers Dresden Files #1
- Both those titles I will try out and see if I like. No promises in keeping them.
Evil Dead #4
- The conclusion to the adaptation thats actually to me better then the original film. Hope to see more works from this team on the sequels.
Goon #23
BPRD 1946 #4
- Both those titles I am saving for a rainy day. Woohoo Goon!
Batman Death Mask #1
- Hope this is good
Exterminators #28
- (crys... two more issues)
Green Lantern Corps #23
Number Of The Beast #1
Tiny Titans #3
- Fun DC titles as always and Im curious what NOTB will be like. Tiny Titans is always fun. I hope Corps gets the ball rolling.
Titans #1
- So Im reading Supergirl for the heck of it and pass by an ad for this and just think wow, cant wait. Before I could never get into the Titans simply because
I didnt know who everyone was. But after passing the cartoon, the toy line, and references, I can actually say I know everyone in the lineup to the point that their
personalities are different to me. So Im excited to see if this debut into that world is as fun as Im imagining. Heck, Tiny Titans and Year One hold up, why shouldnt this! Call me
super excited.
Un-Men #9
- Gonna read these all one day, hehe.
Young Liars #2
- Yay, finally!
Locke & Key #3
- Yay, finally!
Wormwood Calamari Rising #3
Aqua Leung GN
- This GN is gonna be badass I believe
Bad Planet #5
Magdalena Daredevil (one Shot)
Nixons Pals GN
- Some Casey goodness
Pax Romana #3
Screamland #2
Scud The Disposable Assassin #23
Suburban Glamour #4
- Cool, talk about waiting forever.
Avengers Fairy Tales #2
- First issue I recommend anyone checking out. If this is half as good as that I should be in for a treat.
Criminal 2 #2
Dead Of Night Featuring Man Thing #3
Fantastic Four #556
- I love this series.
Last Defenders #2
- I actually dug the flaming head dude.
Nova #12
- Woohoo!
Soleil Sampler
- This should look pretty
Wolverine #64
Wasteland #16
Devi #18
Dock Walloper #3
Gamekeeper Series 2 #2
Jenna Jamesons Shadow Hunter #2
Megas #2
Snakewoman Curse Of The 68 #2
Tall Tales Of Vishnu Sharma Panchatantra #3
- Im really going to get around to reading all the Virgin comics one day.

So all in all, the ones Im excited for the most are:
Nova, Fantastic Four, Locke & Key, Young Liars, Titans, Exterminators, Doktor Sleepless

Ugh. After reading the preview for Titans #1 I was dissuaded from buying that title. Gosh, does that look bad. And who in the WORLD thought it would be a good idea to launch a new series with a PART 2 (yes, Titans #1 is part TWO of an arc. The Titans East Special was part 1). Just silly.

StarchildAD wrote:Im pretty sure in the avatar press conference I posted a link to that was gaffneyed, they said they had plans to release it in trades. Oh well, it wasnt newsworthy enough anyways

Well, I am sure that it will eventually get collected (and there might even be plans already in motion), but I do not think it will be released anytime soon (re: before August).

It's out in the summer, I found the CBR press conference. Issues 1-8 collected.

Originally Ellis said in Bad Signal this would never be collected, which I kinda liked - added to the mystery of the piece imo, if you didn't get in at the start you'd be out of the loop - kinda cultish, echoing some aspects of the books storyline......Oh well.

Issue 1 is being reprinted with no ads and 10 pages of back matter in May as Doktor Sleepless Manual 1.

Batman #676 - Tony Daniels' art just keeps improving. He is at the top of his game here. The story itself is very much an opening chapter. A brief introduction to the villains and enough plot to move the story forward. And how CRAZY have they made the Joker? Yikes!

DMZ #31 - Another solid issue. Wood has created such a thriving universe and as such the possibilities are almost endless. This arc is going to heat up next issue.

Goon #24 - This issue contains two stories. The first story is from Eric Powell and it ties into the greater mythology of the Goon's universe. The second story is basically a back-up adventure where the Goon has to close a portal to hell that some of the neighborhood boys opened up. It is interesting stuff, but I want to get back into the meat of the main story.

Transhuman #2 - Hickman is really having fun with this title. It shows. His nods last issue to the X-Men are followed up with nods to WE3. A very interesting book, but not for everyone. I think perhaps 4 issues is a bit too much. A three issue mini or probably a graphic novel would have been a better choice for this story. Still excellent though.

Walking Dead #49 - Whoa! Kirkman is a cruel Struggling Background Artist. After EVERYTHING he did to his WHOLE cast last issue he pulls away from the mayhem and delivers a small story. That packs an even BIGGER punch than the crazy issues before it. A change in the status quo INDEED!

Wonder Woman #20 - The debut of penciler Aaron Lopesti (sp?) is a much welcome one. That dude can draw. The story is interesting and include a most strange team-up. Still waiting for Gail to blow me away. She has it in her I just haven't seen it yet.

DC
Flash #240 (I'd have dropped this title if they weren't setting up Barry's return.)
Justice League of America #21
Justice Society of America #15

INDEPENDENT
Doktor Sleepless Manual #1 Wraparound Cover (I think - I can't remember what the hell this is. One more special edition of the first couple issues, or a supplement of some sort?)
Grendel Behold the Devil #7

"If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all." -- Noam Chomsky

I can understand it spilling over into other books, namely Nightwing and Robin, BUT THAT'S FUCKING IT. The stories told in Detective have been a nice respite from continuity driven titles. I like that I can jump in and out of that without having to know what happened the issue before.

Finally went to the shop and pcked up DT: Long Road Home 2+3 (awesome). While there I saw an Abe Sapien book but they didn't have the first issue so I may wait for TPB. Also picked up the rest of Lobster Johnson"Modern Prometheus and a new BPRD 1946 book. Excellent stuff.

I actually like GA/BC alot. It's like the Romancing the Stone of superhero comics. Titans is terrible so far, but they got the old team back together! Doesn't even compare to the fun I have with Teen Titans though.

burlivesleftnut wrote:I actually like GA/BC alot. It's like the Romancing the Stone of superhero comics. Titans is terrible so far, but they got the old team back together! Doesn't even compare to the fun I have with Teen Titans though.

Ha! Oh my heavens that made me laugh. I bring it up only because I find it interesting when you consider that the prevailing message board wisdom is that everything touched by Judd Winnick is awful. I don't hate the guy, but the few examples of his work that I have read have left me unimpressed. But to see someone dig his work is just so...strange.

burlivesleftnut wrote:I try to stay away from the comic message boards and writers and artists based on their work alone.

It is like you are speaking some other language!

That is precisely the reason I came back to AICN, because the people who talk about comics in this place (uni, you, dennis (formerly)) were pretty level headed. Every other site is filled with people just spewing venom. I mean, I had no problem with Winnick. My only encounter with his work was some of his stuff on Green Arrow, which I didn't really care for. However, when I would check out message boards the guy was made out to be the anti-christ or something.

The thing I find most ironic is that despite all the message board hate the guy still sells consistently around 35k. Just further proof that the Internet boards are totally askew with the real world.

This week I picked up:Skaar Son of Hulk #1-Kind of a blah book, not real exciting.Action Comics #866-This I really liked I haven't read a Superman comic in years and I loved how Superman/Clark looked like Christopher Reeve. And Lois looked like Margo Kidder.Trinity #2-Haven't read it yet